Abdulsalami reveals why 1979 Constitution was adopted in 1999

Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has said the 1979 Constitution was adopted with amendments in 1999 to prevent military “hawks” from delaying Nigeria’s return to democracy after the death of General Sani Abacha.

In his autobiography, Call of Duty, he explained that some officers wanted a prolonged transition that could have kept the military in power for years under the guise of drafting a new constitution.

He said his priority was a swift exit from military rule after assuming office on June 8, 1998, following Abacha’s death.

“I reasoned that the longer the Military stayed in power after Abacha’s death, the bleaker the prospects of a genuine transition to democracy would be,” he said.

“There were military officers who had tasted political power and were not too willing to let go. If I prolonged the transition programme under the desire to create a perfect democracy with a perfect Constitution, I would only be giving room to the hawks in the Military to hold on to power.”

He added: “I could not even rule out the possibility of a coup along the line by officers who did not want the Military to quit. For me, the earlier we left, the better for the democratisation project.”

Abdulsalami said one alternative was restarting the transition process entirely, which could have extended military rule to 2001.

“For those who wanted the Military to stay longer, this was their choice. It would allow us to buy time by creating a public debate for one year, setting up a conference that would sit for another one year to write a new constitution, and then releasing a timetable that would run for another year,” he said.

However, he rejected the option, saying there was no “perfect” moment for democracy.

“Democracy is not achieved in one day. Plant the seed and it will keep growing if the players are committed to watering it,” he said.

He also dismissed continued use of Abacha’s transition plan, describing the political parties as lacking credibility.

“The five political parties, which the late Chief Bola Ige famously described as the ‘five fingers of a leprous hand’, lacked credibility. They were perceived as playthings in the hands of Abacha,” he said.

A proposal for an interim government was also rejected, following the failure of a similar arrangement in 1993.

On constitutional choice, Abdulsalami said a 25-member committee led by Justice Niki Tobi recommended retaining the 1979 Constitution with amendments rather than adopting the 1995 draft.

“I must confess that this was a welcome relief to me,” he said.

“For someone who wanted to get the transition programme done with as quickly as possible, I was quite comfortable with the option of adopting the 1979 Constitution.”